Islamabad - President Supreme Court Bar Association Syed Ali Zafar has commended the federation’s proposal for the Action Plan to protect and promote human rights as a welcome initiative.
However he expressed his regret that the SCBA, which is the premier body consisting of the top lawyers of the country and has been at the forefront of protecting human rights, has unfortunately neither been consulted, nor has it been made aware of these initiatives, which creates serious doubts in his mind as to whether the federation is serious in implementing the Action Plan.
He stressed that for any human rights’ initiative to be effective in the circumstances prevailing in Pakistan, there is a need to prioritise and concentrate first and foremost on the right to education, because it is only through education that human rights can be embedded within the minds of the younger generation and increase the awareness of other fundamental rights amongst the people.
Ali Zafar was concerned that the government seems to be non-supportive on the National Commission on Human Rights (NCHR), which is a statutory organisation purpose-built for the enforcement of fundamental rights and recommended that NCHR should be granted administrative autonomy and allowed its intended capacity independently with the full support of the federal government.
He stated that no human rights can be enforced effectively unless measures are taken to change the mindset of the law-enforcement agencies through law enforcement training programmes.